Matthew 5:1-13
1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
The Grace New Testament Commentary - Matthew 5:1-2
5:1-2 Disciples who are saved and committed to following Jesus are being addressed at the outset of the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon is not addressed to the Church because it was not yet in existence. It is addressed to citizens of the kingdom who aspire to be heirs of the kingdom in all its fullness. In the "beatitudes," Jesus describes the character of all who would share in the blessedness of His kingdom program. The word beatitudes comes from the Greek makarioi ("blessed"), which occurs nine times in vv 3-12. Each beatitude has three parts: an ascription of blessing (happiness), a specific virtue to be cultivated (the practice of each produces a positive result), and a promise relating to the kingdom (reward or special comfort as a reason for the promised happiness).
The common belief today, as in Jesus' day, is that happiness comes from possessing wealth, absence of sorrow, gratification of one's appetites for worldly things, and being well spoken of and kindly treated. But according to Jesus, true happiness comes from the cultivation of some very unlikely virtues. With all the beatitudes, it is assumed that one is already a citizen of the kingdom through faith in Christ. Further blessing is promised to those whose lives are characterized by humility, brokenheartedness, meekness, and spiritual hunger and thirst, mercy, purity of heart, peacemaking, and a courageous loyalty.
The Grace New Testament Commentary - Matthew 5:9
5:9 The promise to "the peacemakers" is that "they shall be called the sons of God." This means that in the kingdom they will have the reputation of being like God. Their character will reflect His character just as earthly sons tend to resemble their fathers. While all believers are children of God (1 John 3:2), only those who are peacemakers will be His sons. This is a higher privilege and honor, similar to being a friend or co-heir with Jesus Christ (John 15:14-15; Rom 8:17).
The Grace New Testament Commentary - Matthew 5:13
5:13 Salt seasons, preserves, cleanses, and creates thirst. Like a seasoning, disciples are to make Christ attractive to the world (cf. v 16). Similar to a preservative, disciples are to retard corruption and decay. As a cleansing agent, disciples are to assist in helping people find forgiveness and new life in Christ. As that which stimulates thirst, disciples are to engender a feeling of thirst for the gospel in the world. Palestinian salt was mixed with impurities. So as the salt leached out over time, its effectiveness was diminished and it became useless. Disciples must make sure their lives do not become useless by failing to act as salt (v 13). The figure of salt "thrown out and trampled under foot by men" is not to be understood as the loss of a believer's salvation, but the loss of his usefulness in service.
Charles Bing - Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship - The Beatitudes, Matthew 5:3-12 (cf. Mark 1:16-20)
(The Beatitudes) are not a presentation of the gospel. In fact, in light of the coming kingdom, they assume the state of someone who is eternally saved, someone who wants to live in anticipation of the kingdom.
The word 'blessed' (from makarios) does not mean saved. It denotes the joyful and happy state of those who live out the virtues listed. They are blessed because the future kingdom holds special blessings for them. Note that the consequences are future, except the first and last (Matt. 5:3, 10). If this were an evangelistic appeal, all the blessings would be stated in the present or perfect tense (past action with continuing results). The present tense used in verses 3 and 10 assures 'the poor in spirit' and 'those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake' that 'theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' This phrase, along with verses 11-12, seem to be an assurance that persecution cannot cause the humble and persevering believer to forfeit the security of a kingdom destiny that they presently possess which will also yield future rewards for enduring persecution.
As we anticipate the kingdom, we should appropriate the virtues of the Beatitudes as our own because they are kingdom virtues. As we do so, we can enjoy the blessing of a present assurance of our kingdom destiny and a promise of our future kingdom reward.
Thomas Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible - Matthew 5:3
5:3 The poor in spirit are those who recognize their natural unworthiness to stand in God's presence, and who depend utterly on Him for His mercy and grace (cf. Ps. 34:6; 37:14; 40:17; 69:28-29, 32-33; Prov. 16:19; 29:23; Isa. 6:5; 57:15; 61:1). They do not trust in their own goodness or possessions, or anything of their own, for God's acceptance.
Thomas Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible - Matthew 5:7
5:7 The blessing of the merciful is that they will receive mercy from God. Jesus did not mean that people can earn God's mercy for salvation by being merciful to others. He meant that God will deal mercifully with people who have dealt mercifully with their fellowmen (cf. Matthew 6:12-15; 9:13; 12:7; 18:33-34). There are many Old Testament texts that speak of Messiah dealing mercifully with the merciful (e.g., Ps. 18:25-26; Isa. 49:10, 13; 54:8, 10; 60:10; Zech. 10:6).